Talk is Cheap
by aglowingstar
Summary: Hermione made a mistake. What will it take to fix it? And what changes will come of it? HrR, but may be other pairings later. Rated M just in case. Please read and review! complete!
1. Glances and Whispers

**A/N: This is their 7****th**** year, but the all of the events of HBP did not happen. Good old Dumbledore is still with us. I also do not own Harry Potter; that's the genius of J.K. Rowling. Please read and review, and enjoy!**

Talk is Cheap

"Did you hear about Hermione Granger?"

"Yeah, isn't that crazy?"

"The things people will do…"

"Who would've thought Hermione Granger would do that?"

These were the whispers that were flying around the Great Hall the morning after the wild party thrown in the Gryffindor common room. Hogwarts had known some pretty crazy parties, but this one would've made even the Marauders proud. Firewhiskey was abundant, not to mention the liquors popular with Muggles, such as rum, vodka, and tequila.

The tequila was the root cause of all the whispering at breakfast. Hermione was not accustomed to drinking, and she was what one might call a "lightweight." When she entered the Great Hall, the whispering stopped and everyone glanced in her direction. Hermione raised an eyebrow and grimaced. Why was everyone staring at her? _What is going on?_ She made her way to the Gryffindor table, trying to avoid the stares. She sank down next to Harry and looked around the room confusedly.

"Morning, 'Mione. Pretty wild night, huh?" Harry asked with the slightest trace of a grin.

"Don't start with me, Harry. I've got the hangover from hell," she said, rubbing her temples. She started to eat her breakfast, and looked up when she felt the two of them staring at her. "What's the problem? Aren't you two going to eat? Food usually doesn't last two minutes on your plates," she said, taking a drink of pumpkin juice.

"Um, Hermione? Don't you want to know what—" Harry broke off his sentence as Ron kicked him from under the table.

"Want to know what? Well, actually, yes, I would like to know why everyone in the Hall was staring at me when I came in. Do I have something on my face?" she asked, looking at her reflection in the back of her spoon. "What happened last night? Anything I should know about?"

When neither Ron nor Harry answered, Hermione looked up slowly. "Did you hear me? What happened last night?" Ron bit his lip and avoided Hermione's eyes. Harry sniggered. Hermione inhaled deeply; she was becoming impatient and quite a bit concerned. She slammed her hand on the table. She looked across the table at Ron; she knew she could drag it out of him better than Harry. "Ronald Weasley. Tell me what happened last night. Now. Why is everyone staring at me like I'm naked?"

Harry laughed out loud at this point, but was silenced by Ron's glare. Hermione looked back and forth between them, and at last, Ron said, "Well, 'Mione, you were."

"I was… what?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Ron gulped loudly and whispered dimly, "Naked."

Hermione's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. She managed to choke out a strangled "Excuse me?"

Ron looked at her sympathetically, his face almost as red as hers. Harry just sat there, staring at his hands, trying not to laugh. Hermione hid her face in her hands.

"Oh my God, this is terrible. What in the world am I going to do?" Before Harry or Ron could answer, Hermione had jumped up and sprinted out of the Great Hall.

Harry glanced at Ron. "Well, mate, good luck with that one," he said, patting Ron on the shoulder.

"What? You have to go talk to her with me, don't make me do this by myself!"

"No way, man, I can't even think about it without laughing, there is no way I am going to be able to make her feel better, she'll just end up hauling off and hurling me out the window. No, mate, you're on your own."

Ron narrowed his eyes and got up from the table. He shook his head. _What a git_, he thought, _Harry just doesn't want to have to deal with seeing Hermione cry. And I don't know if I can… _He didn't have time to think; he had to explain to Hermione what happened. He ran up to the Gryffindor dormitory, where he knew she would be.

Hermione lay facedown on her bed, trying like hell to remember what exactly had happened in the common room the night before. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes, but she was determined not to let them spill. She didn't even know what happened. How could she cry over something she didn't even remember? She suddenly got angry. _Damn that tequila_. She suddenly let out a shriek, sat up, gripped her pillow in her hands, and threw it at the door just as Ron was opening it. It hit him square in the face. Ron jumped into the air. "Bloody hell, Hermione!"

"Don't you know how to knock?" she shouted, but jumped up to make sure he was okay at the same time.

"I was about to, but I heard you shrieking so I opened the door to make sure you were okay," he said, picking up the pillow and handing it back to her. She took it, threw it on the bed, and faced him again.

"I'm sorry, Ron, I'm just so angry at myself. Please, you have to tell me what happened. I can't stand not remembering something that the entire school knows about." She looked at him with pleading eyes. Ron melted; those eyes could get him every time. _Ron, what are you doing thinking about her eyes? You're here to tell her what she did last night… what she did… that was bloody fantastic… no! _Ron's head was spinning. He grabbed Hermione's shoulder and led her to sit on the bed with him. He took a deep breath.

"Hermione, last night, you had a little too much tequila—"

"I know that, Ronald, my head feels like it's going to split in two," she interrupted impatiently. He placed a hand over her mouth.

"Listen to me. I lost count after your 16th shot. I don't know how much you had total. I tried my best to stop you but I was pretty sloshed myself."

"16? I had _16_ shots? I didn't even know I was capable of drinking that much," she exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Like I said, you had more after that, I just don't know how much. Anyway…" Ron searched for words. "Well, you know that Muggle song 'Tequila makes her Clothes Fall Off?'" Hermione nodded slowly. A line from the song suddenly popped into her head: _Tomorrow she'll say, "Oh, what have I done?"_

"Well, that song doesn't lie. 'Mione, you pretty much, well, to put it bluntly, gave the whole of Gryffindor a striptease. On the table." He winced, waiting for the reaction.

Hermione just sat there, stunned. She looked down at her hands. _How could I…? _Ron put his hand on hers gently.

"Are you okay?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, then brought her hand to her face.

"Oh, God. I remember."

**TBC**

You like? I know it was kind of short; they will be longer as the story progresses. This is my first fanfic in a long while. Don't worry, there will be some pretty interesting twists in the story, but this is all I could write for tonight; got a final to study for! Please, please read and review so I know what you guys think!!


	2. Remembering

**A/N: I saw that a few people put this story on their story alert list! That makes me really happy! I'm glad you guys like it, and thanks to Fool4Sasuke for reviewing! All the rest of you guys should review too! ******** Also, the flashbacks are going to be written in first person from Hermione's POV. Here's chapter 2!**

**And oh yeah, I don't own any of these characters. J.K. is the woman!**

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 2_

Hermione sat on her bed, staring straight ahead, her eyes boring through Ron's; she wasn't really looking at him at all. She couldn't think straight. Her thoughts flew back about eight hours….

_This party isn't bad. I'm glad Harry and Ron convinced me to come down and have a good time. I wish everyone weren't drunk though. They won't remember any of this tomorrow. I would never get that inebriated. _

_Oh God, here comes Ron. He's hammered! Good Lord, I hope he doesn't try to get with me… I think… or maybe I do. No, can't think about that now. I smiled as he came over. _

"_HERMIONE! You need to have a shot." Ron had a shot glass in one hand, a lime and a saltshaker in the other. _

"_No, Ron. I'm not drinking tonight. We have class tomorrow!" That wasn't really my reason… the truth was that I never really been drunk before, and I had most definitely never had a tequila shot. I held up my hand in protest._

"_Come ON, 'Mione! You only live once!" Ron gave me that look; the one he knows can get me every time. I tried to resist._

"_Ronald, I am not drinking tequila. I've heard what can happen with that stuff. I'll end up plastered on every guy in this room." At those words, Ron stiffened._

"_No freaking w-ay, Hermione. The only guy you should be plastered on is… nev-never mind," he stuttered and blushed. He shook his head as if trying to erase the words he had just said. "Hermione, come on. Tequila shots are fun. Here, this is how you do it." Ron pulled a small bottle of Jose Cuervo out of his back pocket. At this, I had to laugh. Ron poured the tequila into the glass, shook a bit of salt on his left hand, and held the lime at the ready. He licked the salt, shot the tequila, and sucked on the lime really quick. As his lips closed around the lime, I felt a strange feeling, like I wished his lips were closing over mine instead of the fruit. I quickly shook it off._

"_See, nothin' to it!" Ron poured the tequila into the glass and held it out to me. I sighed, and rolled my eyes, deciding I might as well have some fun while I had the opportunity. _

"_Alright, set me up," I conceded, holding my right hand out. Ron grinned and poured the salt on my hand and handed me the lime. I took a deep breath and licked the salt, shot the tequila, and sucked on the lime. That wasn't bad at all, I thought. I grinned. I liked the feeling the tequila gave me. "Give me another!" I cried, holding the shot glass out. Ron laughed loudly. That's where it began._

_One hour and 15 shots later, I didn't even remember the first shot, let alone the ones in the middle. I sauntered around the room, being extra friendly to most people, even people I didn't really care for. I knew it; I was a happy, giddy, giggly drunk. Oh well, this is so much fun! I suddenly got the urge to dance. I ran up to Harry where he was standing talking to Seamus. _

"_HARRY!!!!" I screamed, running up to him and jumping on him with my legs around his waist and arms around his neck, like I hadn't seen him in years. _

"_Hermione, good to see ya," he said, laughing and patting my back gently. Over his shoulder, I saw Ron standing there, looking at me with a strange look in his eyes. I involuntarily removed myself from Harry. As I looked up at him, I saw he wasn't quite as drunk as Ron or me. Harry smiled at me, his green eyes twinkling. "I see you've found the joys of tequila," he teased._

"_Tequila? Ish that what I've been drinking? Man, that shtuff ish amazing," I slurred, almost falling backwards. But two strong hands wrapped around my waist and saved me from falling on my arse. I turned around and looked into Ron's caramel eyes. I almost melted, but I controlled myself. We stood there for a second, looking into each other's eyes. Ron leaned down slowly, keeping his eyes locked on mine. My breath caught in my throat. He's going to kiss me. He's going there, oh yes, he is. _

_But when his lips got close to mine, he broke out into a toothy grin and put me in a headlock. As he shoved my head under his arm, I was completely confused. What the hell just happened? But my drunk self played along, and we ended up on the floor in a full out wrestling match. Harry and Seamus laughed and looked at each other knowingly. _

_As Ron and I were fighting, someone turned on some loud dance music. I screamed and jumped up and started dancing. This was what I had wanted to do all night._

"_Yeah!" Harry yelled and grabbed me by the waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we danced to some Beyonce song. All of a sudden, I felt another body behind me—Ron. I took my hands off of Harry's neck and wrapped them backwards around Ron's. I felt like the queen of the world; I was in between two of the hottest guys at Hogwarts, both of which happen to be my best friends. _

_That's when it happened. Something came over me and I had the urge to call attention to myself. I broke away from Harry and Ron, leaving them awkwardly dancing with each other. They looked at each other and stopped dancing and turned to watch me._

"_Hermione? Where are you—Oh my god, Ron. What in the bloody hell is she doing?" Harry grabbed Ron and ran over to the table that I was climbing on. Beyonce's voice rang through the common room as Harry tried to get me to come down. But I wouldn't listen. I started dancing, shaking my hips vigorously. I vaguely heard the song "Hips Don't Lie" start to play on the stereo. Everyone crowded around, watching me. I liked this attention and didn't want it to end. So, I started taking my clothes off. I took my shirt off, threw it into the crowed, pulled my skirt off and kicked it onto Ron's face. He slowly brought it down and dropped it to the floor, his mouth hanging open. Harry, being only a little drunk, was trying to stop me._

_  
"Hermione, dammit, get down!" He tried to grab my ankle but I merely kicked my shoes off in his direction. He shook his head; he knew he couldn't stop me now. I wouldn't have let him if he had physically grabbed me. I reached for the hook on my bra and ripped it off. All the guys in the crowd cheered, the girls simply scowled and started whispering. Ron just stood there, dumbfounded. He couldn't tear his eyes away from me. _

_  
The tequila still hadn't worn off. I didn't know what I was doing. As a finishing flourish, I sexily took my panties off and left them lying at my feet as I danced. Harry shook his head, a little disappointed. He turned away and made his way through the crowd._

_When the song ended, I looked around and realized what I had done. Wow, what an idiot! However, it didn't bother me too much, considering I still had way too much tequila in my bloodstream. Ron helped me gather my clothes and I put them back on. When he asked me what got into me, I just laughed. "I wanted to dance! So I did! And that feeling was amazing! I felt so free!" Ron snorted. _

"_You looked pretty free, that's for sure." _

_I shoved him playfully. He winked at me and walked over to the fireplace to talk to Harry, who was laughing in a group of people, probably about what I had just done. I shrugged and straightened my shirt. Still drunk, I decided to go out of the common room and see what other fun I could find…._

Hermione shook her head disbelievingly. "I cannot BELIEVE I did that!" she shrieked, hiding her face in her hands. Ron bit his lip and looked down at his lap.

"I'm sorry I didn't try to stop you, Hermione, I really am," he said quietly, pulling her hands from her face. There were huge tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Ron, it's my fault, and my fault alone. You were drunk too… you can't blame yourself for my stupid mistake. I just can't believe I did that. In front of EVERYONE!" she held onto Ron's hand tightly and leaned into him, sobbing. He rubbed her back gently.

"Shhh, 'Mione. It's okay. It'll pass; it'll be old news in a few days after Pansy Parkinson does something ridiculous." This made Hermione smile slightly. "See?" he said, putting his hand on her cheek. She looked up at him, remembering the feeling she had the night before, when Ron's lips were so close to hers. He remembered too, and leaned down close to her. As his lips brushed hers gently, she gasped.

"Dear God," she said, pulling back. Ron's shoulders crumpled. He had made his move too soon. However, as he looked into her eyes, he realized that her gasp had been a product of something much more serious. Her brown eyes filled with tears and her body shook violently.

"Giving the whole of Gryffindor House a striptease was not the only thing that happened last night," she whispered, bringing her fingers to her lips, touching them gently, as if remembering something else….

**TBC**

**What do you think? Good? Please review! It will help me out a lot! ********I'll try to update again, POSSIBLY tonight!**


	3. Running Away to Face It

**A/N: Thanks to Fool4Sasuke, Lioness, Emma, and Deidre for reviewing! I really, really appreciate it. You all should follow their lead and review!! ) This chapter is a bit short; I'll go ahead and warn ya. It's going to be from Ron's POV for just a bit in the beginning for a nice change. Enjoy!!**

**Oh yeah, and I don't own any of this. J.K. is amazing!**

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 3_

There was no doubt in Ron's mind: Hermione had done something terrible after leaving the party. There was a look in her eyes he had never seen before—a look of utter desperation. He was genuinely scared of what she was going to tell him. But it was Hermione, for God's sake. What could she have done that was so horrible? _She stripped in front of the whole house, Ron; she could've done anything._ He felt guilty for even thinking such a thing about her, but it was the truth wasn't it? If she could find it in her to do a striptease, she could've found it in her to, say, kiss the wrong person…. But who? Ron didn't really even want to think about it.

But he was going to have to, because Hermione needed someone to talk to, and she was sitting right there in front of him. She was still sitting there, her fingers still on her lips, eyes glazed over with tears. Ron waved his hand in front of her face.

"Hermione, what is it? What did you remember?" But she just shook her head violently.

"No. Ron, we have to go to Potions," she said quietly as she stood up, grabbing her backpack from the floor.

"Wait, Hermione, tell me!" he said, taking her hand and pulling her back around to face him.

"No, Ron! Just leave me alone, okay?" She glared at him, jerked her hand out of his, and flung the door open. Ron just stood in the doorway, shocked. He sighed and followed her down the stairs.

AAAA

Hermione didn't know what in the world she was going to do. She did know one thing for sure: liquor would never pass her lips again. As she stormed out of the room, leaving Ron in her wake, she knew she was being unfair to him. But what could she do? There was no way in hell she could tell him what happened after she left the common room that night. She could barely stand to admit it to herself. She stopped short when she realized she had reached the dungeons. She had been so lost in thought on the way down that she hadn't even realized where she was walking. She could have passed Merlin on the way down and not noticed. She swallowed. It was now or never. She had to go to class, no matter what looks and whispers awaited her there. She held her breath and opened the door to Snape's classroom.

AAAA

The looks and whispers had not relented since breakfast. All eyes were on her, following her every move. She sank down into her seat next to Harry. He looked at her sympathetically, patted her on the shoulder and leaned over. He breathed into her ear, "Don't worry about them, 'Mione. It's going to be all right." She glanced at him and forced a smile. _It isn't them I'm worried about_. But all she said was "Thanks, Harry." It was at this point that Ron came into the dungeon and sat in his regular seat next to Hermione. He was going to try his best not to be angry with her; she had been through enough already. Hermione looked at him sheepishly, sorry for the way she had talked to him a few minutes earlier. She mouthed the words "I'm sorry, Ron," afraid that if she spoke, she might cry. He smiled and reached for her hand. "It's okay, Hermione," he mouthed back. They kept looking into each other's eyes, and Ron stroked the palm of her hand with his thumb. The rest of the room seemed to disappear, and Hermione was lost in his eyes. All thoughts of what happened the night before left her mind, nothing mattered except the fact that her best friend Ron Weasley was looking deeply into her eyes and doing all the right things to make her feel whole again.

Ron didn't know what he should do. This was the perfect opportunity to kiss her, but there were so many things working against him. For one, they were in Snape's class, and he would walk in any second, and Ron knew he would not be giving him and Hermione the warmest of congratulations on their newfound love. He also didn't know if it would be wrong to kiss her while she was feeling vulnerable. But even as these thoughts entered his mind, he found himself leaning in to kiss her. To his great surprise (and pleasure), Hermione closed her eyes and leaned into him. Their lips were about 4 centimeters away from each other when Snape came into the room, his black robes billowing behind him. He entered so quietly that Ron and Hermione didn't even notice. Their faces drew closer together. His lips were about to close over hers…

Snape reached them, put both hands on the table, and leaned over right in front of them. "50 points from Gryffindor. I don't tolerate public displays of affection in my classroom," he said in his soft, deliberate voice.

Ron and Hermione broke apart, shocked and embarrassed. Ron was seething; what else could go wrong? He narrowed his eyes at Snape, looking at him with as much hatred as he could muster.

Snape shifted his eyes from Ron to Hermione, and his expression immediately changed. The anger that had been radiating from his face as he looked at Ron morphed into concern for Hermione.

As she looked up at Snape, her mouth went dry. Everything that had left her mind a few minutes ago came rushing back. Snape opened his mouth to say something to her, and she abruptly got up, pushing her chair back. Without grabbing her things or looking back, she ran out of the dungeon. The class sat in silence, confused at what had just happened. Ron's thoughts were racing. He didn't know what in the bloody hell was happening, but he knew it must not be good.

Snape stood there for a split second, and Ron could have sworn that he saw a look of sadness come over him. But as quickly as the moment came, it passed. Snape turned on his heel and strode to the front of the room. "Open your books to page 230. Now!" he snapped. Harry and Ron glanced at each other. Harry could offer Ron nothing but a small shrug of his shoulders. He turned away from Harry, blocked Snape's voice out of his mind, and wondered what in the world just happened.

AAAA

Hermione was running up to the dormitory when she stopped dead in her tracks. She had to talk to him. She couldn't avoid it anymore. She would just wait until he got out of class, and sit down with him to have a talk about what had happened. It was really the best thing. She turned around, making her way back to the dungeon to wait for him.

AAAA

Ron sat in class, impatiently waiting for it to be over. There was nothing else on his mind except her. He needed to know what had happened last night, but he also needed to know if anything was going to happen between them. This waiting was completely agonizing. And what was that look Snape gave her? As if he actually _cared_ about embarrassing her in front of the whole class. Ron nearly laughed out loud at this despite his misery. He doubted Snape could find it in his cold heart to care about anything, let alone Hermione, whom Ron knew he looked down upon as a "filthy little Mudblood." Ron was shaken from his thoughts as chairs started moving and people started getting up. Class was over. Ron stood up and faced Harry.

"What the hell, mate? What was with Snape today?" Harry asked quietly, narrowing his eyes across the room at the professor as he cleaned up his desk area.

"Huh?"

"You didn't notice how he was acting? All quiet, calm, and almost… nice," Harry said, scowling.

"I wasn't paying attention. All I can think about is Hermione and what she could've done that was so terrible," Ron said, gathering up all of his things.

"I know, she's acting like it's the end of the world. It isn't like she kissed Snape or something…" Harry said quietly, a laugh in his voice.

This made Ron drop his Potions book on the floor. He laughed lightly as he picked it up. "Now, that's a laugh, Harry," he said, stuffing it into his backpack and walking out the door, Harry following him.

Hermione was waiting outside the door. This brought a smile to Ron's face. _She is waiting for me. She wants to explain_. He opened his mouth to thank her for coming back, but she walked right past him into Snape's classroom. Ron turned slowly and watched Hermione close the door behind her. He turned to Harry.

"What in the hell?"

**TBC**

_**I hope you liked this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!**_


	4. A Drunken Mistake, right?

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Flashback, as before, is from the first person POV of Hermione. Let's get down to it, shall we? Hope you enjoy! **

**Oh yeah, and I don't own.**

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 4_

Ron and Harry just stood there staring at the door Hermione had just closed in their faces. Neither one of them could speak, but the same thought was running through both of their minds: _Hermione and… Snape?_ Harry was the first to speak.

"Maybe it isn't what we think, Ron. Maybe she… maybe she just wanted to apologize for running out in the middle of class," he offered lamely, not really believing it himself. There was something about the look in Hermione's eyes that didn't quite match up to making a simple apology. Ron didn't buy it either.

"What has happened to her, Harry? The Hermione we know would never have done any of these things," Ron said angrily as they turned away from the door and made their way to Charms.

"She was drunk, Ron, you know that. You helped get here there…" Harry trailed off, not wanting to start a fight.

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you suggesting that this is my fault?" Ron's voice raised and echoed through the hall.

"Ron, shut up! You know very well I did not say that. I just mean that people do things they don't mean to when they're drunk," Harry

"Actually, no. _Actually_, most of the time, people do and say things they _really want to_ when they are sober but they don't have the control not to. Do I need to bring up your breakup with Cho? When you were drunk, you told her she was getting on your nerves and a relationship wasn't what you wanted at the time. I know you remember that, Harry," Ron said quietly.

Harry's face contorted. "Yeah, you're right." Harry had wanted to break up with Cho for over 3 months but hadn't had the nerve to tell her, until the night they got into the Firewhiskey. He went into a rant about how he wanted to end it, something he couldn't have done before. But this bothered Harry more than anything. He stopped short and looked at Ron. "That means… that maybe she _wanted _to kiss Snape. Maybe she's wanted to for a long time, and the tequila gave her the courage, or whatever, that she needed. Maybe she's fancied him for years and…" he left it at that, knowing Ron got the picture.

Ron did get the picture. All too well. The feelings Harry was describing were the exact feelings he had for Hermione. He had wanted to kiss her for as long as he could remember, ever since that first day on the train. And when he was drunk the night before, he had been given the power to try to kiss her. But apparently she had another man on her mind. _Ron, how could you be so foolish? Wait, no. Hermione is the one being foolish. Chasing after a teacher? What could she be thinking? Especially a damned git like Snape. We don't even know for sure if he's on our side._ Ron could feel the anger bubbling up inside him, but he looked up and realized they were right outside Professor Flitwick's classroom. Harry forced a smile and elbowed Ron.

"At least she's not snogging Professor Flitwick," Harry said almost seriously.

Ron snorted and shook his head as he and Harry headed into class, without the third member of their trio.

AAAA

Hermione's face flushed as she stepped into the classroom. Snape was sitting at his desk, appearing to be grading papers. She cleared her throat slightly. This caused him to look up, and when he saw her standing there, he started to stand up.

"No, Professor," she said, motioning for him to stay seated. He conceded, but continued to look at her.

"Miss Granger, what do you need?" he nearly whispered.

"Professor, we have to talk. About what happened last night…. I-I-…" She couldn't think of what to say; the ability to speak seemed to have left her. Snape shook his head.

"Miss Granger, that should have neverhappened. It was so irresponsible of me. I am your professor," Snape said coldly, keeping his black eyes locked on hers.

"I know, Professor, but… I just wanted to…" she stopped talking as memory overtook her… the flashback of the kiss was happening, just as the flashback of the striptease had popped into her head….

_Man, that dancing was fun, but I need a new scene. I wonder what other parties are going on in the castle. I pulled the bottle of Jose out of my pocket that I had hocked from Ronald and took a long swig. Maybe I shouldn't be roaming the castle alone when I'm completely hammered… oh well! I'm already out; I might as well see what I can get myself into. I stuck the tequila back into my pocket and kept walking. I didn't really even know where I was walking, I was just going. I turned the corner and ran into a suit of armor. It made a loud CLANK, and I just laughed and apologized to the suit. How funny. I didn't know that Snape was doing his walkthrough of the castle and was just around the corner. He heard the clank and came my direction. I stumbled down the hall, still giggling at the attack I had made on the suit of armor. I didn't even hear Snape come up right behind me and grab me by the shoulder. I gasped and whirled around._

"_Professor Snape! What's goin ON? What are you doin' down here?" I said loudly, clapping both my hands on both of his shoulders. He raised one eyebrow and removed my hands._

"_I might ask you the same question, Miss Granger," he hissed, leaning close to my face. I could smell the Firewhiskey on his breath. Apparently he had had the same idea as the Gryffindors. I could tell he was drunk._

"_Well, I was just trying to find another party. Are you having a party? Because you sure smell like you are!" I said boldly. Snape's lip curled. _

_  
"I don't think that's any of your business, Miss Granger," he said, straightening back up._

"_Okay, Professor, I just thought we might finally have something in common," I said, shrugging my shoulders._

"_I'll tell you what we have in common; Monday night at 7, detention in my office," he said in that cold, indifferent voice._

"_Oh, Professor, is that really necessary? I mean, what have I really done to deserve a detention," I felt myself becoming seductive; the swig of tequila I had just taken was working on me. I stepped closer to him, looking up into his face with an innocent look in my eyes. I didn't know what I was doing; I didn't even consider the fact that I was about to be seducing Severus Snape. "I could be doing something worse than wandering around the castle late at night," I whispered, running my finger down his chest. He stiffened at my touch, but made no move to stop me. I took this as a sign to continue. I let my hand flow back up around his neck and I drew him closer, so that our bodies were touching. I stood on my tiptoes and breathed into his ear, "Don't you think we could… work something out?" I let my lips graze his earlobe ever so slightly. He moaned a little, almost inaudibly and involuntarily. I looked at him sweetly. "Is that a yes?" I asked softly, my hand on his face. _

_But I should have known that Snape would not seduce so easily. "Miss Granger. This is a highly inappropriate situation. You are but a 17-year-old student. I am your Professor. I don't know what has gotten into you, Granger, but I have a feeling it has something to do with that tequila on your breath," he said harshly, stepping back from my touch. I was stung. The tequila kept me going._

"_Professor, it isn't just the tequila. I… I want you," I blurted, before I knew what I was saying. I stepped toward him, and before he could step away, I pulled him toward me. I pressed my hips against his, and he arched his neck back. I smiled slyly and wrapped my arms around his neck. He looked down at me. Was that… emotion I saw in those normally blank eyes? I found myself locked to his gaze. He brought his hand to my face and gently laid it on my cheek. My breath caught in my throat as he leaned in to kiss me. His lips closed around mine in the sweetest kiss I had ever shared. I kissed him back, no longer caring about getting out of the detention. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue in between my slightly parted lips. I moaned into his mouth and followed suit. The kiss seemed to last forever, and when we finally broke apart, I realized what I had just done, and as I looked into his eyes, I knew he had realized it too. I stumbled back, almost tripping over my robes. He stepped forward to help me, but I didn't fall. I swallowed and looked at him_

"_Hermione…" It was the first time he had used my given name. I shook my head._

"_Professor, I have to go," I said simply, and strode past him back up to Gryffindor Tower. I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to…_

The memory left as quickly as it had come, and Hermione found herself sitting in Snape's office right in front of him. She was just as confused as she had been last night, if not more so. Snape's voice broke her thoughts.

"Miss Granger? What is it you wanted to say?" he asked impatiently.

"I- uh- I just wanted to apologize for what happened."

"As I said before, it was my fault. Being drunk on Firewhiskey is no excuse."

"It is not entirely your fault. I started the whole thing. I should've just taken the detention and shut up about it. It was a drunken mistake," she replied. _Wasn't it?_

"Let's call it even then," Snape said, almost agreeably. _This girl can make me feel anything_, he thought. He quickly shook the thought from his head. "We'll just pretend it never happened." _Yeah, right_, he thought.

She stood up. "Okay, Professor." She turned to walk out, feeling relieved, but a little remorseful at the same time.

"Good day, Hermione," he said, almost as an afterthought.

Her hand froze on the door handle, her heart fluttering at his use of her given name.

"Good day, Severus," she said, returning the gesture, knowing it might be ill taken. She glanced over her shoulder. Snape merely stared at her, his features softening at her words. She swallowed, opened the door, walked out, and closed it behind her. She leaned against it, looking up at the ceiling. _What the hell is happening? _

**TBC**

**Okay, that wasn't **_**too **_**bad of a cliffhanger. I wanted to update tonight because I am moving out of my apartment this weekend, and I don't know when I will get to again. We have to get the Internet set up again at my parent's house, so that might take a few days. Hopefully it will be sometime in the next week. Please watch for the update though! I promise I am not going to abandon this story; I am having too much fun writing it! Please, please take a couple seconds to review! )**


	5. The Truth Will Out

**A/N: I know this is Ron/Hermione tagged story, but I wish I could tag a third character. But it will make sense soon. Don't worry. Thanks for the reviews, they made my morning and made me want to update today! This will definitely be the last chapter of the weekend, so I wanted to give you guys a little info before the long update. So here ya go! **

**I don't own.**

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 5_

Hermione knew she had already missed half of Charms, but she needed to go anyway. However, she also knew that she would have to face Ron and Harry, and she definitely didn't want to deal with that. _You'll have to face them eventually_. Right after Charms was Transfiguration and she couldn't miss that one. She sighed deeply and headed to Professor Flitwick's classroom.

AAAA

Back in his office, Snape was trying to sort out what he was feeling. _Severus, don't even think about it. She is 17, a student, a Gryffindor for crying out loud. This is wrong on so many levels_. Snape knew that was the truth, but he couldn't stop thinking about her and that kiss. Of course he had been kissed before, but a kiss never seemed to mean so much. All the kisses he'd ever shared were meaningless and lusty. Yeah, lusty kisses were hot, but he had never received (or given) a kiss with so much heart and passion. He shook his head. _No, Severus. She was drunk, so were you. That's all there was to it. If anyone were to find out about this, you'd lose your job, and she'd probably be expelled, _the voice inside him said firmly. Severus nodded to himself; he knew he had to forget her and that kiss.

AAAA

Hermione slipped open the door to Professor Flitwick's room quietly and sat down next in an empty chair next to the door. Ron and Harry were on the other side of the classroom, and glanced in her direction when the door clicked shut. She turned up one corner of her mouth into a halfhearted smile. Ron just turned away, but Harry smiled back. Hermione sighed. _Ron is never going to understand_. Professor Flitwick looked her way. She winced; she knew he would ask why she was late at the end of class. By that time, class only had about 20 minutes left. She realized it probably would have been better if she didn't even come; she didn't pay attention to one thing Professor Flitwick was saying. When class ended, Harry and Ron came over to her.

"Wait here for me, he's going to want to know why I was late," she said, standing up.

"We'd like to know too, Hermione," Ron said matter-of-factly.

"I know, and I'm going to tell you," she said over her shoulder as she headed up to the front of the room.

"Professor?"

"Ah, yes, Miss Granger. Why were you late today?" he asked, not sounding annoyed, just concerned.

"Oh, I did poorly on an assignment in Professor Snape's class, and he wanted to talk to me about it. I'm very sorry, Professor," she replied. She hated she was lying, but what could she say? _Professor, I was talking to Professor Snape about the snog we shared last night when I was drunk off my arse_. No, that wouldn't work. Professor Flitwick looked surprised.

"**You** did poorly on an assignment?" he asked doubtfully, peering into her eyes over his little glasses.

"Yes, I didn't understand it very well, sir, and I pretty much bombed it," she lied.

"Ah, well, it happens to the best of us. Just try not to be late again. You're excused," he said good-naturedly, starting to clean up his desk. Hermione smiled slightly and turned away from his desk, walking towards Ron and Harry. As they stepped into the hall, Ron grabbed her wrist lightly.

"That was a bloody lie. You get top marks in Potions, just like every other subject. Come on, what gives? Tell us the real reason, 'Mione," he said angrily. Harry just stood there, waiting for an explanation.

"I can't tell you right now, Ron. This is neither the time nor the place, and we have Transfiguration," she said loudly. At that point, Professor McGonagall walked by briskly.

"Actually, Miss Granger, you don't. I had to cancel class today; I have a very important meeting to attend. My apologies. If you had reached the classroom before I saw you, you would have seen the note on the door. But I will see you all tomorrow, enjoy the day off," she said quickly, rushing off as quickly as she had come. Ron looked at Hermione smugly.

"Now, tell us," he said, pulling her toward Gryffindor Tower, Harry following close behind.

AAAA

By the time they had reached the portrait hole, Hermione was about to explode. She was sweating profusely and breathing hard. Ron muttered the password, "candelabra," and the Fat Lady swung open to admit them. They proceeded up to Hermione's dormitory and closed the door behind them. Hermione sank down on the bed.

"Okay, Hermione, tell us. What happened with Snape?" Harry said, pulling Hermione's desk chair up next to her bed. Ron sat on the bed Indian style facing her. Hermione's eyes filled with tears and avoided their eyes.

"I-I don't know if I can tell you guys," she murmured, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Don't be stupid, 'Mione, you can tell us anything. Did that creep come on to you and take advantage of you when you were smashed?" Harry said, with a hint of anger in his voice. Hermione shook her head.

"No, Harry… You've got it all wrong…" she was speaking to Harry, but her eyes found Ron's. Ron could tell what she meant by the look in her eyes. He swallowed and started to speak.

"Hermione, you didn't…." Ron said miserably. Harry's mouth dropped.

"HERMIONE GRANGER. You came on to SNAPE????? How could you?" Harry nearly screamed, jumping up from his chair. Hermione's eyebrows furrowed.

"Harry, SHUT UP!" she yelled, standing up and pushing him back down. "Someone could hear you, you git!" Harry sat back and crossed his arms.

"What in the bloody hell were you thinking, Hermione? Coming on to a professor? At least you could've chosen one who isn't a slimy snake! That's fucking disgusting, I can't even believe you're telling us this," Ron said, keeping his voice low.

"That's just it, Ronald, I wasn't thinking! I was drunk… because _someone_ made me shoot tequila until my blood alcohol level was at a dangerous high," she said, glaring at him.

"Oh, no! You will NOT blame me for your stupid actions! I didn't tell you to get up on that table and show everyone in Gryffindor your business, and I most certainly didn't tell you to snog Snape! I'd have to be insane to suggest such a sickening thing," Ron said disgustedly, becoming angrier and angrier by the minute.

"I- Oh, Ron, I know you didn't. I'm sorry… I just don't want to face what happened and it's easier to blame it on you," she said, trying to make him understand. Ron nodded and looked down. Harry took this opportunity to speak.

"So, Hermione, it was just a drunken mistake, wasn't it?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer. "You didn't _really _want to snog him did you?"

"Did I want to sn—of course not!" she said indignantly, "I was just trying to get out of a detention he had given me because I was wandering in the halls… and running into suits of armor," she shook her head, remembering how dumb she must've looked.

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. Was she telling the truth? She seemed to read their minds when she spoke again.

"Okay… I _might've _wanted to at the time, but it was just because I was drunk… and… I figured out last night that I get pretty horny when I'm drunk. And, well, Snape is really not that bad looking if you really…" she cut herself off, seeing the twin disgusted looks on their faces. _Damn, I wish Ginny were here, she'd understand_. "Never mind. Anyway, it isn't something I've been wanting for years, if that's what you guys are thinking." This really was the truth; she had never seen Snape in that way before; he was vile, cold, and he really hated her. Didn't he? "He was there, so I kissed him. It didn't mean anything."

Ron gave a bitter laugh. Hermione looked at him quizzically.

"Do you not remember what happened before your striptease?" he asked, barely believing his bravery. Harry looked uncomfortable. "Snape wasn't the only guy you could've kissed last night," he replied resentfully, looking away from her gaze.

"Oh, Ron. I'm sorry…" she said, reaching for his hand. He jerked it away.

"No, Hermione, I'm tired of your apologies. It took every ounce of courage in my body to try to kiss you last night, and this morning, and this morning AGAIN and you have rejected me EVERY time. No, I don't want to hear any more excuses or apologies," his voice was rising with every word, his freckled face becoming red very quickly. Harry stood up, knowing he didn't need to be there.

"I'm going to go, guys—" neither of them were listening, "—okay, see ya," Harry said quietly, slipping out the door.

"Ron, you did not try to kiss me last night. You came close then put me in a friggin' headlock, like one of your guys friends! What the hell was I supposed to do? Stop you and try to kiss you myself?" she stood up, her face reddening too. Ron stood up to face her.

"YES! Did that not give you enough of a hint that I wanted something more from you? Why is it that the guy has to make all the moves? I mean, what the hell? We are expected to be so damn brave and do everything, and that's just bullshit! Plus, you didn't seem to have too much of a problem with kissing SNAPE!" Ron was yelling forcefully by this time. Hermione clenched her fists.

"Well, did you ever stop to think that I didn't want to be drunk when I kissed you for the first time?" she blurted out, stepping closer to him, anger shining in her eyes. Ron's expression changed from angry to confused.

"Well, no, I didn—Wait, what? You actually wanted a first kiss from me?" he asked incredulously, wondering how much crazier this day could get. Hermione merely looked down, feeling her anger fading. Ron smiled, wondering if this was finally his chance. He put his hand under her chin and lifted it. "Did you?" he asked, looking tenderly into her eyes. She swallowed and nodded.

"Well, you're not drunk now, are you?" he teased, leaning closer. She smiled, the first real smile she'd had all day. She shook her head slightly and lifted her face to meet his. Her heart fluttered as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ron could barely believe it. It was actually going to happen. Their lips brushed gently and he left his lips barely touching hers for a second, and an involuntary moan escaped Hermione's lips. Ron grinned slightly and closed his lips over hers. She melted into his arms, deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, seven years of love left unsaid radiating through his kiss. He ran his tongue along her lips, and she parted them, allowing him entrance. She did the same, and their kiss was soon more passionate than either of them had ever experienced. He pulled back reluctantly and looked into her eyes. Her eyes were twinkling with the fierceness of Albus Dumbledore, and she smiled brightly. _How could I have never kissed Ron before? How could I have failed to see that this was what I have been looking for?_ Ron put his hand gently on her cheek. _She is so beautiful, how did I not do that before? _

All thoughts of Snape left both of their heads as they leaned in for a second kiss.

AAAA

However, Snape's thoughts were just beginning…

**TBC**

**Okay, how was that? I knew I couldn't leave you all wondering where in the world I was going with this. I will update as soon as I can, I promise. Thanks for reading, and please, please, PLEASE review! )**

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	6. Just for a Kiss?

**A/N: Well, I got the Internet at home yesterday! It happened quicker than I thought it would, so updates will be coming more often now! Thanks to everyone who reviewed-- keep it up, hehe. So without further adieu, here's chapter 6! It's a little short, but I've gotta work soon and I just wanted to get an update out there today.**

**Yeah, I don't own.**

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 6_

For the next few days, Hermione and Ron seemed to be in some sort of ethereal cloud. That first kiss would definitely not be their last; it seemed to Harry that they did it every second they could. But he couldn't help but be happy for his friends; he had been waiting for them to realize their love for each other for six years. He just wished they'd come up for air every once in a while. But one thing was still on Harry's mind—something that seemed to have left everyone else's. _What really happened between Snape and Hermione that night? And was it truly forgotten? _He knew Hermione better than he knew most anyone, and he knew that even if she were inebriated, she wouldn't have made such a rash move without having at least a little free will. Even as he thought about it, Harry felt slightly nauseated. He glanced up at Snape at the teachers' table and thought— _how could Hermione kiss _thatHe guessed he'd never know.

AAAA

At the same time as Harry was thinking about her kiss with Snape, Hermione was gazing across the table into Ron's eyes. Ron reached over and took her hand in his.

"Hermione, dear, do you need anything else to eat?" Ron asked her dreamily, not taking his eyes off of her.

"No, Ronald, I'm just perfect," Hermione sighed, resting her chin in her palm, her eyes locking with his.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it, you two, you're making me want to throw up my dinner," he said good-naturedly. Ron looked over at him and punched him on the shoulder with his free hand.

"Come on, mate, just because you can't tell—her—how you feel," Ron said softly, peering down the table past Harry to his sister Ginny. Hermione giggled. Harry scowled.

"Don't start with me on that, Ron, you know I'm going to tell her… when… whenever I feel like it," he said nonchalantly, looking down at his plate.

"Harry, she likes you. Trust me, girls know," Hermione said, finally tearing her eyes away from Ron.

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say. You've already got your feelings out in the open. It wasn't exactly easy was it?" he asked her seriously. Hermione sighed a little.

"Yeah, you're right. But you have to tell her eventually, you could be missing out on something great," she said pointedly, looking back into Ron's eyes. Harry smiled, knowing she was right. Ron grinned and leaned across the table to kiss her on the forehead. As he looked at Ron and Hermione, something at the front of the room caught his eye. It was Snape. He was watching Hermione and Ron with his eyes narrowed, a look of pure hatred on his face. Harry furrowed his eyebrows and looked harder. He realized Snape wasn't really looking at Hermione at all; he was boring a hole through Ron's head and Ron didn't even realize it. Harry drew a sharp intake of breath—_well, at least one person hasn't forgotten the encounter between Hermione and Snape… Snape himself._

AAAA

_Look at them. They can't keep their hands off each other. I really should go over there and give them detention. It's disgusting; no one wants their dinner ruined by seeing Weasley and Granger hanging all over each other. _Snape shook his head involuntarily at this thought. _They aren't hanging all over each other. They're merely showing each other affection. Affection, Severus, do you even know what that word means? _He didn't know if he did or not, he just knew that he couldn't stand Weasley touching Hermione. That was the honest truth of it, whether he wanted to admit it or not. He decided he couldn't take it anymore; something had to be done. He stood up and swept over to the end of the Gryffindor table, where the trio was sitting. He reached out and grabbed Ron's hand, taking it off of Hermione's.

"Hey, what in the—" Ron said, looking up at Snape. Hermione jumped a little in her seat, bringing her hands under the table to her lap.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," he hissed, looking at Ron with the ultimate distaste.

"What for?" Ron said, outraged. "We were just sitting here!"

"For your disgusting display of affection toward Miss Granger," he said dangerously. Hermione opened her mouth to protest but Ron beat her to it.

"Ten points? Just because I kissed her on the forehead?" Ron said, standing up to face him. Snape smirked.

"Five points each, of course, because we all know that displays of affection require two willing parties," he said silkily, looking at Hermione intently,   
"don't they?" Hermione's mouth dropped open for a second, then she brought her lips back together, looking Snape in the eye. At this, Snape strode away from the table toward the dungeons, robes billowing behind him.

Ron glared after him, and with a great exhale, he sat back down. "What the bloody hell does he think he's playing at?" Ron asked the two of them. Hermione couldn't move. Harry, on the other hand, knew _exactly_ what Snape was doing.

**TBC**

**I know, I know, it was short, but better than nothing right? How'd ya like it? Please review and I will update soon. Much love!**

**Oh, something funny I noticed when I saw OotP (which I thought was AMAZING!), Mr. Weasley used the phrase "the truth will out," saying it was Muggle phrase… and that's what I had named my previous chapter! It made me laugh. Anyway, review please! **


	7. The Obvious Choice

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Well, I guess I don't really have much else to say, so here's chapter 7!**

**I don't own, even though I did predict one of Mr. Weasley's lines in the movie, hehe.**

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 7_

_Severus, you are such an idiot. How could you make such a comment to students? You want to talk about insinuation… that was idiotic. _Despite these thoughts, Snape couldn't help but feel quite pleased with himself. The look on Weasley's face had been worth it, not to mention how his words had affected Hermione. As he strode down the hall toward his dungeon, a smile spread to his lips. She knew that I was talking about, and so did Potter and Weasley. She had obviously told them; he knew she would, after all, they were her best friends. _Best friends, you never had any of those_, he thought to himself. He shook the thought from his head. He realized however, that if Potter and Weasley knew about the kiss, they might report him to Dumbledore. He stopped in front of his office door and put the heavy brass key into the lock. He shook his head again. _No, they wouldn't risk the hell I'd put them through in my class, especially since Dumbledore trusts me with every fiber of his being. I'm sure he wouldn't believe them anyway. _Snape shut his door with a quiet click, and retreated to his living quarters.

AAAA

Meanwhile, the trio was heading back up to the common room, Hermione still completely silent and Ron seething with anger. Harry was trying to make sense of it all. He knew in his mind what Snape was trying to do, but he didn't want to make things worse for his friends.

"Guys, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. I mean, maybe he doesn't even remember…" Harry trailed off, knowing that was impossible. Hermione shook her head.

"No, Harry, he remembers perfectly well, especially since I went and spoke to him about it," she said miserably, hiding her face in her hands. Ron put his arm around her shoulders.

"'Mione, don't worry about it. Snape's just a slimy old git anyway, he just wanted to get to you," Ron said, rubbing her arm gently.

Hermione was glad her face was covered because when Ron called Snape a "slimy old git," she winced. _Why do I care about him? Ron's right; he has always treated me like worthless trash. That's all I was to him that night—a trashy tramp. _Hermione's eyes filled with tears; it was at that point she knew: she really did care what Severus Snape thought of her, and she didn't know why. She took her hands away from her face and looked at Ron. He was looking down at her lovingly, and she couldn't help but smile a little. _Ron is perfect for me; I have to forget that kiss._

AAAA

That night, Hermione lay in her bed, thinking about the events of the day. She and Ron had been so happy, and then Snape ruined it in about 30 seconds. What was strange about the situation was the fact that Snape had always been cruel to them, and they had always just overlooked it. Why was this time any different? If it had been Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy snogging in the middle of class, he probably would have let it go. At this thought, Hermione felt crushed—_The reason it is different is because Snape isn't jealous of Malfoy; he's jealous of Ron_. Hermione sat up straight in bed, horrified. _Snape hasn't forgotten the kiss. He was still thinking about it, and not because he regretted it._ Hermione's breath caught in her throat. She was immediately frightened. _What would Snape do to get his way? And how much would I do to stop him?_ She couldn't believe she even held that last thought in her head, but Hermione had never been one to lie to herself for very long. There had been some kind of spark between her and Snape that night, and it wasn't forgotten. Sure, she might be falling for Ron in a way she never had before, but was it possible that Hermione was falling for two men?

Hermione was almost disgusted with herself. There had to be some way to sort this out in her mind. Suddenly she had an idea. Making lists was something that always helped her sort things out. She would make a pro and con list for Ron and Snape. This entire thing felt like a dream; she never thought she'd be puzzled on her feelings for Snape. She opened the drawer on her bedside table and took out two pieces of parchment and a quill. On one piece, she wrote "RON" and on the other she wrote "SEVERUS." She drew a line down the middle of each and wrote "PROS" and "CONS" on either side of the lines. She took a deep breath. She decided she'd start with Ron. On the pro side, she wrote "My age, funny, sweet, romantic, not taboo, my best friend, trustworthy, fair Quidditch player, attractive, great kisser, I can see a future with him." She smiled. That was a good list. On the con side, she wrote "Kind of lazy, doesn't do his homework as often as he should, can be immature, bad temper." Those might have been Ron's worst qualities, but even they were endearing. Plus, there were many more pros than cons. Hermione began to feel a little better. She turned to Snape's list. On the pro side, she wrote "Very intelligent, soft-spoken (it was true), responsible, has a job, trusted by Dumbledore, very sexy, bloody fantastic kisser." The last two pros were very physical, and they weighed heavily on her mind. Then she started on the con side. "Much older than me, my professor, unfair, callous, emotionally closed, angry, not liked by my best friends, not liked by many people actually, off-limits, scheming, possibly incapable of human emotion." She stopped there and compared the lists. It was obvious who was the better choice. Ron had as many pros as Snape had cons. _Well, that settles it._ Ron was the better choice; she didn't know why she didn't see it before. She put the two pieces of parchment safely into the drawer. But as she lay back on her pillow, she couldn't get her mind off two things on Snape's list: _very sexy and a bloody fantastic kisser_. Hermione exhaled loudly. She couldn't just sit here, lost in her thoughts. She needed to rectify this thing once and for all. She had to see Snape. She had to get him off her mind, and she'd do whatever it took to do that. Ron was the man she wanted to be with. He would never have to know that she slipped down to the dungeon in the middle of the night to try and work out the Snape situation. What's the worst that could happen?

AAAA

Just down the hall in the boy's dormitory, Harry and Ron were whispering about the situation. They couldn't just let Snape torture Hermione that way. They were formulating a plan… Something that could stop Snape and benefit them in the process…

**TBC**

**Well, there ya go. Please, please review! It makes me so happy when I get on and see that I have reviews. I'll try and update again this weekend! I am also working on a one shot story, so be on the lookout for that one! Love love!**


	8. What Has to Be Done

**A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to update! I have been really busy the past week or so; my BFF came down to visit, my mom has been on vacation, and I've been working a lot. But finally, I have time to update! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.**

**And obviously, Deathly Hallows isn't happening, hehe. But the book was AMAZING!**

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 8_

Hermione stood up quickly and looked at herself in the full length mirror on the back of her door. Her hair fell in soft curls around her face, her eyes glowing warm in the candlelight. She was wearing a simple, sleeveless, pure white dressing gown. She ran her hands down the front of her gown, smoothing it gently. She shook her head suddenly: _Why do you care what you look like? You're going to see Professor Snape! _But that was just it… She was going to see the man she had kissed just nights ago with more fire than she knew she possessed. She grimaced and sat back down on her bed, looking across the room into the mirror at her reflection. She couldn't do it. She couldn't go to the dungeons. She was too scared. _Scared? Hermione Jean Granger, you are supposed to be a Gryffindor. You're supposed to be brave. Go ahead, sit up here like a coward. Don't go tell Snape what you think of the situation_, her conscience raged. Hermione stood up defiantly, knowing what she had to do. She slipped into some white flip flops and left her room quietly. It might have been the brave thing to do, but she wasn't quite brave enough to stop by Harry and Ron's dormitory to tell them where she was going. This was something she had to do on her own, without their disapproving looks.

AAAA

Just down the hall, Ron had just revealed his plan of attack to Harry. Harry was pounding his fist in the air.

"Ron, that plan is excellent! That will keep Snape's mouth shut, stop him from tormenting Hermione, AND we'll get benefit from it too. Ron, you're brilliant!" he exclaimed, clapping Ron on the back. Ron grinned, stood up, and took a bow.

"Thank you, thank you," he said, bowing toward Harry.

They both laughed heartily, knowing they could start their plan first thing in the morning. Nothing could happen tonight; Hermione was already safe in bed, while Snape was no doubt lurking in the dungeons.

AAAA

But Hermione was not safe in her bed. She was stealing through the corridors, watching for Filch or Mrs. Norris at her every turn. As she drew closer to the dungeons, the hallways got darker. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and muttered "_Lumos._" A little burst of light came out of the tip of her wand, and she realized she was nearly to Snape's classroom. Her breath caught in her throat as she reached the door. "_Nox,_" she whispered, and the light went out instantly. As she reached to knock on the door, she realized it was open a little. She peeked inside; the room was completely dark. Where was Snape? She pushed the door open, and she heard a tiny _creak_. She bit her lip and muttered "_Lumos_" again. The light shot out of her wand and she saw the door that must lead to Snape's living quarters. That must be where he was. She swallowed, her Gryffindor spirit moving her forward. She stepped up to the door, and gave it a quick knock. She heard footsteps approaching the door.

AAAA

The knock stopped Severus's pacing up and down in front of his fireplace. _Who in the hell is that at this hour of night? If it's Filch telling me he heard a suspicious sound in the library, I'm going to slug him. What if it's… no… it couldn't be._ He strode to the door and turned the knob quickly. "What do you wa—" his words were cut off at the sight of Hermione Granger standing there in her dressing gown. _Keep it together, Severus. _

"P-Professor Snape? Could I, er, have a word?" she asked quietly, sticking her wand back into her pocket, not quite looking him in the eye.

_You could have quite a lot more than that… No. No no no. _Severus's thoughts were at war with one another. How could she look so beautiful standing there in front of him? But how could he be having these thoughts about a student? He tried to stop his mind working by responding.

"Have you been drinking, Miss Granger? Because if you have, I am afraid I am going to have to decline," he said coolly, looking down at her, a bit of a smirk playing on his lips.

"No, Professor. Not at all. I just…" she trailed off, looking up into his black eyes for the first time.

"Well, then, Miss Granger, come in, I suppose," he said, stepping aside so she could come in. As she walked past him, he smelled the slightest trace of vanilla. He sighed deeply and closed the door behind her. She walked straight to the fireplace, holding her hands in front of it. She had become quite a bit chilly, walking through the airy castle in a sleeveless dressing gown. She had small goosebumps all over her slightly tanned arms, and she rubbed her hands over them as she turned to face Snape. "Well, Miss Granger, what is it you need?" he asked, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her.

"Professor Snape, I—I know what you were trying to say at dinner tonight, you know, the, uh, comment you made to me in front of Ron and Harry," she said very quickly.

"Miss Granger, if this is about the points I took from Gryffindor, I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do about it now. The damage has been done. Maybe next time you will watch where you put your hands in public," he said coldly, trying to push the thoughts of touching her soft skin out of his mind.

"But Professor, that's not what I—"

"Oh, Miss Granger, what do you take me for? Some kind of idiot? I know Weasley and Potter sent you here, to try and appeal to my better nature, to get Gryffindor's precious House points back. Well, I assure you, Miss Granger, I have no intention of doing anything of the sort. In fact, I should probably take more because of your—" it was her turn to cut him off.

"PROFESSOR! I DON'T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT THE POINTS, OKAY?! THAT'S NOT WHAT I CAME DOWN HERE FOR!" she screamed, her chest heaving up and down. Snape jumped, taken aback. He had never seen her raise her voice before.

"It isn't? Then… why?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

"Professor, we need to talk about what happened. I know we said we'd pretend it never happened, but… I can't. I can't do that," she said in a low voice, avoiding those dark orbs that seemed to bore into her soul. "I'm with Ron now, Professor, and I can't be thinking about that kiss with you. I can't. It just isn't right. I mean, you're my teacher!" she said, seeming horrified with the rules she had broken.

"Miss Granger, I assure you, that kiss meant nothing. We were both drunk; our judgment was seriously impaired. There isn't anything I wish I could do more than take that kiss back," he said, but even as the words left his lips, he knew he didn't mean them.

"Really?" This seemed to calm her for a moment.. but only a moment. "But, I can't stop _feeling _your lips on mine. It's got to stop, Professor Snape. I'm going insane!" she said wildly, pacing in front of the fire very quickly, her vanilla perfume wafting under his nose with every step she took. He reached out and stopped her pacing by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I know how to stop this. But you must trust me," he said in almost a warm tone, looking down into her brown eyes. She considered this a moment, and then nodded slowly.

"How, Professor?"

"We must kiss. Again," he held a hand up at the look of protest on her face. "If we kiss now, when both of our judgments are quite normal, we will see that the passion we—(he did not hesitate at his use of the word _we)_—felt that night was just a product of the alcohol in our system. We will both be at peace again," he said, slowly taking his hand off of her shoulder.

"You mean, you've been thinking about this too?" she asked incredulously, although she knew he had because of the comment he made to her earlier in the night. She just wanted to hear it straight from his mouth.

"Of course I have! Can you imagine what would happen if Dumbledore found out about this? I would lose everything and so would you. Your education here would be over, and your mind, Miss Granger, is too great to waste," he said, turning away. She smiled at the back of his head, and stepped toward him. She put her hand on his shoulder and turned him around gently.

"Okay, Professor. Let's put an end to this," she said, stepping closer to him, taking his right hand in her left. He nodded curtly, and put his left hand around her waist. He leaned in toward her, pushing a lock of hair out of her face. She closed her eyes slowly, preparing to feel his lips on hers. _This is going to end it. I'm going to see that I didn't _really _want Professor Snape. It was just the tequila_. Her heart rose to her throat as his lips touched hers.

Gently this time, not forceful. He let go of her hand, bringing both of his to her bare arms, rubbing them softly and slowly. She kissed him back ever so softly, just standing there, feeling the touch of his hands on her arms. They weren't rough, as she had imagined them to be. They were soft, but a little calloused, the hands of a man. He ran his tongue along her lips. She smiled, allowing him to slip it inside her mouth. She did the same, kissing him back with just as much fervor as she had that drunken night. She took both of her hands, closed them over his, and brought them down in front of them. She broke the kiss, looking up at him, breathing heavily. For the first time since she had known him, his black eyes were twinkling.

"Professor?" she ventured softly.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think that worked out _quite _as you had planned," she murmured, still holding his hands.

"No, Miss Granger, it didn't," he conceded, not taking his eyes off her.

Hermione realized what she had just done. She had cheated on Ron. With Severus Snape. Her eyes widened.

"Professor, I—oh, God. I just cheated on Ron," she said, dropping his hands suddenly. He saw the hurt in her eyes.

"No, Miss Granger, we had to do that. To make sure there were no real feelings between us. Remember?" he whispered.

"But, Professor Snape, I—" she instantly understood the depth of what had just happened.

"What? You what?" he asked, longing to hear the words he had never heard before.

"I-I… I should go," she said, starting toward the door. Severus's heart constricted. She had her hand on the doorknob when she turned around to face him again. "But you should know," she said, just loud enough for him to hear, "I think that kiss did everything _but_ put an end to this." She left on those words, but not before giving him a faint smile.

Severus just stood there, her words and smile replaying in his head.

AAAA

Hermione was beside herself, but knew she could not, under any circumstances, let Ron and Harry know that she went to the dungeons the night before. And they most definitely could not find out what had happened in Snape's living room. She really had went to the dungeons with the intention of ending the feelings she was having. She couldn't help it if that's not what had happened at all…

Potions that day would prove to be as interesting as a class could be. Snape and Hermione avoided eye contact as much as possible, but Ron and Harry figured it was just because of the exchange at dinner the night before. After all, they were boys, they were sort of oblivious to their surroundings. Snape even avoided Ron and Harry's table; he didn't pick on them once.

Hermione did notice that Ron and Harry were acting sort of strange, laughing at random times, usually when looking at Snape. Hermione was suspicious; she loved her best friends, but they could sometimes go to crazy lengths to protect her. She leaned over and whispered, "What are you guys up to?"

"Nothing," they said together, turning back to their potion. She shook her head.

When class was finally over, Ron and Harry hung back. Hermione was heading for the door. "Come on, let's go," she said impatiently.

"No, 'Mione, go ahead, we have a question for Professor Snape," Harry said, "go ahead of us, we'll catch up," he said, waving her out the door. Hermione conceded, but had no intention of going ahead. She nodded, stole a quick glance at Snape, and shut the door. She dug in her bag for something she knew Fred and George had given her at some point… Ah ha! The Extendable Ear! She brought it out, holding it to her ear, listening to what was going on on the other side of the door.

AAAA

"Potter. Weasley. What do you want?" Snape said quietly, cleaning his desk area.

"I think you know exactly what we want, Professor," Ron said, taking a step toward his desk.

"Leave Hermione alone," Harry said simply, stepping next to Ron.

"Potter, I don't know what you're talking about. Now if you would kindly leave my classroom. I believe Professor Flitwick is expecting you," he said coldly.

"You do know. That little comment of yours at dinner last night didn't go unnoticed. We know what happened the night Hermione was drunk. And if you don't leave her alone, we're going straight to Dumbledore," Ron said, his fists clenching angrily. Snape lost a little color in his face.

"And that's not all. You start treating Gryffindors better. Don't take points from us for no reason. Especially Ron and I. We are no longer your entertainment. You shall no longer have control over us," Harry said quietly but deliberately. Hermione gasped.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. You are way out of line. You have no right to—" Snape said, but stopped, knowing they had information on him that could end his career at Hogwarts quicker than you could say bezoar. Harry and Ron looked at each other, knowing they were victorious.

"I believe we have an understanding then, Snape," Ron said defiantly. At that point, Hermione burst in.

"How COULD you?!" she said, tears running down her cheeks, looking from Snape to Ron to Harry.

"We're taking care of him, Hermione, don't wor—" Ron said, stepping toward her, trying to take her hand. She jerked it out of his reach.

"Not him, YOU!" she screamed at him and Harry, her brown eyes wild with anger. "You had no right to come down here and try to threaten him!" she rushed to Snape's side, facing Ron and Harry's white, shocked faces. "This is not any of your business! This is something between Professor Snape and I. No one else! I can't believe you would try and use this situation to your advantage!" She was so angry she couldn't see straight. Snape just stood there, shocked at the situation he now found himself in.

Ron and Harry were speechless. Hermione crossed her arms and glared at them. She stalked over to them and pointed a finger at both of them.

"As of this moment, we are not speaking. Get out," she said, as if it was her classroom to throw them out of. Harry sighed and started toward the door. Ron just stood here, staring at her.

"Ron, out. I don't want to see your face right now. You're unbelievable. Both of you," she said, turning her back on them. Ron stood there a second, but seeing it was impossible, turned to follow Harry out of the room.

When they were both gone, Hermione looked up to face Snape, her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't tell them to do that… I would've never, in a million years… thought they would.. so embarrassed.. can't believe it…" she wasn't speaking in complete sentences, she was so angry.

Snape's features softened as he took a step toward her.

"I know," he said simply, reaching his hand out to hers. She took it, looking into his dark eyes.

Her anger at Ron and Harry was rising inside her. She'd do anything to get them back for what they'd done… Especially Ron…

**TBC**

**So, a bit of a cliffy! And yes, this still is a R/Hr story, but there is going to be some Hr/SS in here too, obviously. It's just the way my mind took me, I hope you all still like it! I think this is my longest chapter yet. I hope you all enjoyed it. PLEASE read and review! It really means a lot to me! And if you haven't yet, check out my one shot, **_**If There Hadn't Been You**_** and review that one too! ******** Love love!**


	9. Not That Way

**A/N: I just have a couple things to say. Please don't leave me harsh reviews just because you don't like the pairing I've decided to go with. And yeah, Snape is OOC. This is the direction my mind took me, as stated before. However, I will say that it's tagged as a Ron/Hermione story for a reason, I promise. Finding reviews simply bashing the work I've done is very discouraging… Anyway, that's all I'll say. Thank you to those of you who continue reading, reviewing, alerting, and/or putting the story on your favorites. It really means a lot to me! Okay, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own anything you recognize. **

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 9_

Ron was fuming. He had no intention of going to Flitwick's class. How dare Hermione take up for Snape? He was pacing up and down the corridor near Flitwick's classroom, ranting about what had just happened.

"I can't believe… what is she thinking?… how could she?... so stupid… Harry, what the hell?" he stopped rambling and pacing and turned to face Harry. Harry was leaning against the wall, his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest. He shook his head slowly.

"I have no idea, Ron. I don't know what in Merlin's beard has gotten into her. She just isn't acting like herself. Since when does she take Snape's side over ours?" Harry was speaking quietly, as if Snape or Hermione were about to come around the corner at any moment.

"I don't know. I mean, it's bad enough we're her best friends and she's turning her back on us… but… I'm her boyfriend. Does that not mean ANYTHING to her?" Ron was yelling now, turning the heads of a few first year Ravenclaws walking past. "What are you looking at?!" he roared. The first years jumped and ran around the corner. Ron looked a little sheepish, but only for a second. He turned back to Harry. "After he _took advantage _of her while she was drunk, she insists on staying down there with him, and yelling at us after all we tried to do was help? It's almost as if she…" Ron trailed off, not wanting to admit out loud what he had just thought.

"Enjoyed it?" Harry asked, afraid of how Ron would respond, "wanted… more?" he continued at barely a whisper. Ron nodded.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. But… why? Things were just starting for us… I thought she was happy. I thought our getting together had gotten her bloody mind off what happened that night," Ron said sorrowfully, not looking at Harry, "did she mean anything she said to me? Any of those kisses?" he looked up at Harry, his blue eyes looking strangely shiny. Harry clapped Ron on the shoulder.

"Sure she did, mate. Hermione's a smart girl, an honest girl… she's obviously just… going through something right now, and it's quite apparent that she doesn't want our help sorting it out," Harry said, squeezing Ron on the shoulder, "but I can guarantee she never would have told you she liked you if she didn't mean it. And blimey, you'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to see the way she's felt about you since first year. Everyone knows it," Harry said, smiling. This made Ron feel better.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I mean, she probably just didn't want us to humiliate Snape… she does tend to care about people even when they don't care about her," Ron said truthfully.

"That's true. Come on, let's go have a butterbeer, I have some in the dormitory. Professor Flitwick will just have to do without our presence today," Harry said, turning to go toward the Fat Lady's portrait. Ron nodded and followed Harry, and for the moment, was convinced that Hermione just stayed in the dungeons with Snape because she felt guilty about the drunken escapade in the hall, and she was so angry with him and Harry because they had meddled in something they shouldn't have been meddling in. They _were _good at doing that.

AAAA

Hermione stood in the corner of the dungeon, too ashamed to look Snape in the face. How could Ron and Harry do such a thing? Didn't they know she could take care of herself? _Yeah, right fine job you're doing too, Hermione. Do you not realize the mess you've gotten yourself into? _Hermione was so lost in thought that she jumped off both feet when she felt Snape's hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face him.

"Professor… I-I- don't know what t-to say," she stammered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Hermione. Please. Don't you think you can call me Severus by now?" he said unexpectedly, wiping the single tear from her face with the pad of his thumb. This made her smile in spite of herself.

"Severus… I still… I still don't know how to tell you how sorry I am," she said, walking out from under his grip, striding over to his desk and picking up a quill just to have something in her hands. He walked over to her, took the quill from her hands and laid it on the desk. He took her hands in his.

"Hermione, you don't have to be sorry. You didn't tell Potter and Weasley to come down here and do what they did. That was their own choice," Snape said firmly.

"Then… you believe me? You know I didn't tell them to do it?" she said disbelievingly, tightening her grip on his hands.

"But of course, after what happened last night, I knew you wouldn't do such a thing," he responded. Hermione's eyes widened. _Last night_. Snape looked at her questioningly.

"Last night… Severus, I-I-, oh, last night might've been a mistake," she said, taking her hands from his once again. His features hardened immediately.

"A mistake? What do you mean, a mistake? A lapse of bad judgment, an accident, what do you mean, a _mistake_?" he said, crossing his arms. Hermione just stood there, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Severus, you know—you know I came down here last night to get those feelings out of my mind. You know I didn't come down here to continue what we started!" She was sobbing now, not even bothering to wipe her tears. "It was almost like I was in another state of mind… I didn't really want—Oh.. Oh my God," she said in a whisper, looking into his dark eyes. "You wouldn't have… Y-you _couldn't _have," she said in a shocked voice, backing away from him. Snape reached out to her but she wouldn't let him touch her. "You _forced _me to feel those things! You put some kind of spell on me last night!" she said, her voice rising with every word.

He didn't even bother to argue. "Hermione, I just wanted—I just wanted to _feel _that way again… when… " he stopped talking, his thoughts drifting back into the recesses of his memory…

"_Lily, I-I love you. I want to be with you. Can't you see that?"_

"_Oh Severus… I love you too," his heart rose, "but not that way." _

_His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. She had turned him down. He turned away from her and started to run._

"_Severus! Please! Wait!" she screamed, running after him._

"What? Feel what way?" Hermione pressed, beginning to comprehend exactly what was going on.

"Nothing," Snape said, turning away from her. She stepped toward him cautiously and put her hand gently on his arm, no longer afraid of what she might feel, now that she knew he had been behind the whole thing. He jerked his arm out of her touch and whirled around to face her. "Miss Granger, if you will kindly leave my classroom," he said in that same cold voice she had heard for the past six years. She shook her head, confused.

"But sir, you can't just kick me—"

"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do. I said, OUT!" he yelled, obviously hurt, embarrassed, and angry.

Hermione could do nothing but obey. She nodded curtly and left the room quickly.

Snape's shoulders crumpled. He sank into a seat on the first row and hid his face in his hands. _What have I done?_

AAAA

Hermione stood outside the door, stunned. What had just happened? She was concerned about Snape, this was true, but what did this mean? She didn't _really _feel those feelings when he kissed her last night? It was merely the spell he had on her? She instantly went on a roller coaster of emotions. She felt worried for Snape, relieved at her discovery, then completely and totally enraged at what he had done. She couldn't believe it! And then he kicked her out without even having the nerve to tell her why he did it. She then remembered her anger with Ron and Harry. Even if she was now angry with Snape too, her anger with them did not fade. She narrowed her eyes and turned to the direction of the Gryffindor common room. Those boys were not going to know what hit them. She had never been so angry in her entire life. Snape could wait; Ron and Harry were going to suffer the consequences first.

AAAA

Harry and Ron were sitting in the common room, halfheartedly playing a game of Wizard's chess and sipping on butterbeers. Neither were speaking, but they were both wondering the same thing: _where is Hermione?_ As if she were reading their minds, she stalked through the portrait hole.

"Oh, perfectly relaxed, I see? Enjoying a nice game of chess and savoring a delicious butterbeer? Not even worrying a bit about what you've just done?" she growled, practically running over to where they were sitting.

"No, Hermione, we were just trying to—" Ron attempted to speak, standing up in front of her.

"No, Ronald. I don't want to hear it. You're going to listen to ME now," she snarled, drawing her wand and pushing Ron back into his chair. Harry just stared at Hermione, wondering what she would do next.

"Do you have something to say, Mr. Potter?" she asked, turning her wand on him. He gulped and shook his head vigorously.

"Good. Now keep your mouths closed and listen to what I have to say," she said firmly, towering over them like a werewolf.

**TBC**

**So? Not too bad of a cliffy since I left y'all hanging pretty bad last time. PLEASE review! If you can take time to read it, add it to your favorites or whatnot, you can take a couple of seconds to tell me what you think! Thanks guys! Love love! **


	10. What They Needed

**A/N: Okay, sorry for the delay. I work at Bath and Body Works and we have been boxing up all our random crap from our big sale, and they have had me working like a house elf! But, here we are. This will be the last chapter, just to let you guys know! It's been great writing it though! I've had a blast, and thank you to all of you who reviewed on nearly every chapter! It made me so happy to see people were actually enjoying what I was writing! So here it is; I hope it's the end you were all hoping for!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Duh.**

**Talk is Cheap**

_Chapter 10_

Hermione had never been so furious in her entire life. The angry feelings that had built up inside her as she made her way to the common room from the dungeon multiplied by ten when she actually saw Ron and Harry. She was hovering over them, and had her wand in Harry's face. Harry sat perfectly still, his green eyes wide with fright. Hermione was a brilliant witch, and he knew she could cast just about any spell on him she wanted.

"Harry, I cannot believe you went along with this idiotic scheme," she snarled, leaning close to his face.

"Hey! What makes you think I came up with—" she cut Ron off by turning her wand on him. He stopped talking instantly and gulped.

"Oh, Ronald, I know you better than I know myself," she spat, with a bitter laugh, "and don't talk when I'm talking," she said, knowing she sounded like an angry parent, but she didn't care. He nodded, put back in his place. She turned on Harry again.

"You're supposed to be my best friend. Ron is my boyfriend," at these words, Ron perked up. It was obvious he was expecting her to break up with him. She glared at Ron. "For now, anyway." His face fell again. "When he gets all jealous and crazy, you are supposed to stop him!" she yelled, crossing her arms over her chest, withdrawing her wand. Harry sighed with relief at this. He now felt he could talk to Hermione without fear of being put under the Cruciatus curse.

"Hermione, look. It wasn't just Ron. Yes, he came up with the plan, but I thought it was bloody brilliant. Hermione, you don't understand. I wanted this business with Snape to stop as much as he did," he said, standing up in front of Hermione, now feeling brave. "Don't stand here in front of us and pretend you did nothing wrong!" he said loudly, pushing her down to the cushy chair with one finger. Ron looked at Harry in amazement and stood up too. "And if you ask me, Ron had all the reason in the world to be jealous and crazy. You had kissed Snape!" he said the last sentence disgustedly under his breath.

"But Ron and I were _not _together then," she said, but inside she was feeling a deep guilt over what had happened the previous night.

"Come off it, Hermione, we aren't idiots. We know you went back down there again last night. We could tell by the way you acted in class!" Harry said angrily. Hermione's face turned a deep scarlet.

"See? We were right!" Harry said to Ron, pointing at her red skin.

Ron was absolutely livid.

"Hermione, how COULD you?! You heard what he said to you at dinner; he was asking for it! Merlin, for a smart girl, you sure are stupid!" Ron yelled. Hermione's stomach fell to her feet; he was right. She had been stupid for going back.

"Ron, you're—you're right. I was stupid. But I didn't go down there to kiss him again; I went down there to put an end to it. And he… he… Oh, God, I can't even tell you," she said, her eyes filling with tears. She got up and ran to her dormitory, not looking back.

Ron and Harry looked at each other. What now? With a heavy sigh, Ron lead the way to her room and knocked on the door. When she didn't answer, they just let themselves in.

"Hermione?" Ron ventured, stepping over to her bed, where she was lying with her face buried in her pillow.

"Go away, Ron, you wouldn't understand," she said, her voice muffled.

"Try us. Please?" he asked gently, sitting on the bed next to her and putting his hand on the small of her back. Harry pulled up her desk chair next to the bed, his usual spot. She sat up under his touch, and faced him.

"Ron, please don't be angry. But when I went back down there after dinner last night, Snape and I kissed. He told me that we had to, because he said it was the alcohol that made us believe we had feelings for each other, and that if we kissed sober, we would see it was all an illusion. I felt so strange, Ron. I was looking at Snape like I had never seen him before, and we kissed. It was glorious," Ron's mouth dropped open; he had never heard anything so disgusting in his entire life. How was he supposed to not be angry? His girlfriend had cheated on him… with _Snape_. She continued, pushing his mouth closed with her finger. "Ron, it was a spell. Snape had put a spell on me so that I would fall for him."

This enraged Ron.

"That miserable… what the hell does he think he's playing at?" Ron exploded, jumping off the bed.

"Ron, no. Stop. I think I know why he did it," she said sadly, looking at her hands.

"Why, Hermione, because he's an old bat who's never gotten any and he wanted to get in your pants?!" he yelled. Harry just sat there, stunned.

"Ron, how could you say something so insensitive?" she replied, standing up in front of him. As she stood in front of him, looking up into his blue eyes that were filled with anger, his face as red as his hair, she found herself smiling. _Ron really does love me._ _That's something Snape never got to experience. That's why he put the spell on me. But I don't need a spell on me to love Ronald._ She took his hands in hers, surprising both Ron and Harry. "Ron, that's almost it. He loved someone once. I don't know who, but I knew that's what it was about. He loved someone who didn't love him back. And my kiss caught him off guard. Snape didn't mean to hurt me, or you. He just acted on his feelings, like he obviously didn't do with whoever this other girl was. He never got to feel what we feel." Ron looked confused. She smiled again. "Ron, I love you," she said, running one hand through his red hair.

Ron looked utterly confused by this turn of events, but he slowly smiled when he realized what she had said.

"I love you too, Hermione," he said, leaning down and kissing her on the lips tenderly.

Harry rolled his eyes. _What the bloody hell would happen next?, _he thought, and laughed to himself. Again, seeing he was no longer needed in the room, he slipped out, thinking about Ginny. As he went down the hall, he wasn't paying attention and ran smack into someone.

"Bloody hell," the voice said. He looked up, startled. It was Ginny.

"Ginny! I'm sorry," he said, starting to go around her, and she was trying to go around him too, leaving them stuck in an awkward little dance in the narrow hallway.

"Harry," she said simply, looking into his eyes. He gulped.

"How's it—um, goin'?" he said stupidly, mesmerized by her gaze.

"Fine, Harry. Except this one little thing…" her voice trailed off.

"Oh? What's—what's that?" he stuttered, realizing how close they were standing.

"Oh, just, I haven't… um…" she stopped talking abruptly and pressed her lips to his impulsively. He was shocked out of his gourd, but kissed her back.

"… gotten up the nerve to kiss you yet," she finished with a smile. Harry grinned back.

"Well, looks like you have, so I guess you're doing really well, huh?" he said playfully and backed her against the opposite wall to kiss her again.

/\/\/\

That night at dinner, everything seemed to be back to normal. Ron and Hermione were sitting next to each other, teasing each other playfully and exchanging the occasional kiss. Harry and Ginny were sitting next to each other, in their own little world. Everyone was happy.

Except Severus Snape.

As he looked at the Gryffindor table, he realized he had never really had any feelings for Hermione Granger. It was just that, sometimes, she reminded him so much of Lily Evans when she was young. _And alive_. He regretted with all his heart never talking to her again after that day she turned him down. He had lost her friendship forever, and that would always eat at his soul. She had died before he got the chance to make things wrong. He had been a fool to abandon her friendship, just because he didn't like James Potter and he couldn't accept that she didn't love _him_ the way she loved James. He had also been a fool to treat her son with such abhorrence. He knew that now. The Golden Trio didn't have much time left at Hogwarts, but he would treat them better from now on out. And if any of them ever came back to teach at Hogwarts, he would be there to help them along the way. It was the least he could do.

As he watched Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny sitting there, so in love, he felt a pang of desire. He needed that in his life. The new Severus Snape needed companionship. It was high time he got out and started meeting people. As his eyes grazed over Hermione, she glanced up at him. She smiled, almost reading his mind. He smiled back, an innocent smile between friends. _Friends_. Something Severus Snape had not had in a very long time.

"Hermione, what are you looking—Oh," Ron said, following her line of sight. Surprising himself, he smiled at Snape too. To his utter shock, Snape smiled back. "Guess the old bat's not too bad after all, huh?" he said, nudging Hermione in the abdomen.

"Nah, he just needed a friend, to help him realize what he needed out of life," she said, leaning over and kissing Ron on the cheek.

Ron beamed.

"And you, Hermione Granger, are what _I _need," he said, taking her hand.

Hermione blushed slightly. "And I need you, Ronald Weasley." She leaned over and kissed him on the lips then laid her head on his shoulder. _I am the luckiest girl in the world._

**fin**

**So that's it! Talk is Cheap is over! I had so much fun writing this story! Again, thank you to EVERY person who reviewed! Much love to you! And also, check out my oneshots and review those too! Now that I'm about to start student teaching, that's really all I will have time to write. Love love!**

**-r**


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